


In the Shadows of Valhalla

by Saber_Sloth



Series: In Which Kenzi Frolics Around Thedas [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Lost Girl
Genre: Arcane Warrior Kenzi, But there still will be singing, Character Elf Insert, Drinking to Cope, Elf-Kenzi, Elf-Kenzi Will Sing A lot, F/F, F/M, Gen, Kenzi walks blindly into Solavellen Hell, Lost Girl Season 4 - Spoilers, M/M, Modern Girl in Thedas - Kind of - Go Method or Go Home, More Serious & Less Like A Parody, New Mood & Focus, OC insert with out the OC, Rewrite, Shadow Thief Kenzi, Trespasser Spoilers, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 20:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9089980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saber_Sloth/pseuds/Saber_Sloth
Summary: It would surprise absolutely everyone - except her Valkyrie almost daughter - that Kenzi Malikov is a huge Dragon Age nerd. Total fan girl. The reason she doesn't pay attention to Fae lore, besides well duh, and she's afraid it'll take over the dedicated brain space filled with her Dragon Age know-how.And because of all the wacky Fae shenanigans she's late way late to the Inquisition party. Silver lining. Since she's so late to the party she gets the Game of the Year Edition, with all the goodies. And because of those Fae shenanigans, none of the game's been spoiled for her. Kenzi knows her love life sucks. Majorly. Bioware's romances are amazing, so she thinks she'll live vicariously through her quizzie. She heard something about Cullen being an option. She loved the shit out of his blushing, stuttering, flight from her Amell way back in Origins....maybe she'll romance him.But...wait... What's up with this apostate hobo...?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I _know_ I promised this ages ago but life has dragged me hither and yon! I'm just happy I was able to get this out before the New Year!
> 
> Now, I've taken a few liberties with the Lost Girl timeline, (I wasn't near the internet when I wrote the majority of this, so I had to go off memory) I hope it's not to jarring. 
> 
> Also, before we begin down this crazy fanficiton ride once more, I can promise you that this will probably be the longest chapter. It's more of a connected series of drabbles to outline Kenzi and how she's changed because of DA:I and Solas. Starting before Season 3 ends and before Season 4 begins, leading up to Kenzi's walk through the Unquiet Dead and her going through the Civant. 
> 
> Also! I'm giving hovertext a go for anything that'll need a Translation, as well as placing the Translations at the bottom like normal. 
> 
> Now, on with the show!

—

 

Biting back a yawn, blinking tired eyes, Kenzi waited...waited and...Boom.

Headshot.

Around the corner...and yep. Jumpscare. It failed.

One....

Two....

Three.

Headshot.

Again.

Robot Hookers only got you so far it seemed.

There was a crash, thump and a few scattered, shouted curses, then more plaster fell on her head.

Tossing the controller next to her after turning the whole thing off, the plucky if borde human sidekick pulled out her phone.

Kitten videos would fix things. Kitten videos always fixed things.

With quick and practiced motions she found her way to youtube. Only to stop at the sight of the add.

"Oh yeah..." thumbs move to take her away from the idea of cute cat videos, "That _did_  come out a couple of months ago didn't it?"

 

—

 

Bo was her bestie, her favoritest person in the whole wide world!

...but she wouldn't' let the thief thieve! _Blasphemous!_

So in realizing that she couldn't even play the game that she'd devoured info on the night BoBo was bangin'

...shit. Kenzi didn't even know who had been sharing her succubestie's bed.

Whatever!

She needed a new console, since the communal laptop was a peice of shit and what she'd been shooting Robot Hookers on had exploded.

In involved an Underfae, a mocha and some string cheese...and  lead to Kenzi dealing with this humiliation.

The clashing, revolting red and green. The sweating stick-on elf ears. The drunken, bearded letch...which by not decking, proved just how much Kenzi wanted this game!

So with a fix plastic smile Kenzi dealt with the Unending Legion of Terrors known as children on candy cane sugar highs, with their grubby, sticky fingers, and ear splitting screeching squeals as they waited in line to get their picture taken with Santa.

 

—

 

Boxing Day arrived like it had the year before and the year before that, but this time, Kenzi had her shiny paycheck burning a hole in her pocket.

Shiny new TV, shiny new console, shiny new game of the year edition Dragon Age Inquisition.

It payed to get paid.

And heck the delivery guys she's gotten to use their muscley-muscles to bring her loot back up to her attic hideaway got to bang Bo on the way out.

Wins all around!

...except for those smexy ass suede boots in royal purple with the bronze buckles and the skull zippers...Kenzi could _acquire_  on her own.

What Bo didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

 

—

 

Wires, wired. Set ups, set up. Accounts...made! And yes, the Dragon Age Keep explored from top to bottom as Kenzi wove her Tapestries.

Kenzi was chewing on her lip in anticipation. It had been years, _years_  since she'd last played a Dragon Age game. Her last playthrough of DA2 came to it's end just a few weeks before she met Bo that very first time.

During the Beginning, or when the the Faenanigins lulled, or Bo was bangin' Doctor Hotpants or the D-Man or whoever else,  she'd pull up some fanfiction on her phone, and thumb through it.

Doubly so when they'd been running around like headless chickens trying to find out that the frak the black smoke that took Bo away was, and she needed to calm the frak down or her heart would explode.

Of course her thumbing through fanficiton now, since the Una Mens is Scary, and keeping the spunky human sidekick out of the limelight was the plan. Or at least that's what she'd tell anyone who'd bothered to ask. Not like they'd check her history and see that she was reading exclusively Fenris romance fics. Or just plain smut.

She knew her crush of the wolf-dude would be an unrequited one. So she'd at least get in some fantasies with a wolf named elf.

Maybe Fenris would have a campio in this hundred plus hours of a game world to explore.

Though after loading in her Timeline she stared at the tarot cards. She's _known_ about all the Race/Class combos but seeing them all laid out like this...decisions, decisions.

Playing a Qunari could be fun, _buuut_  there was the minotaur from a few weeks ago. Playing someone just as tall and horned...her side still hurt. Maybe later. Like a hundred plus hours later.

Being human in a Fae world _su_ _cked_  even if being human in Thedas didn't. Kenzi was tired of being 'the human', and as much as she loved Trick, she didn't get dwarves, not to say that Trick was a dwarf, she just didn't like playing them. She didn't even get through her dwarf warden games. The Origins, yeah no prob. The rest...not so much. Their data lost to feed that Underfae.

So she'd play a Dalish elf (resolutely ignoring her recent stint as a Christmas Elf) like her first warden. A mage, because as much as she comfortable being the Token Rouge, she always, secretly  wanted magic.

Kenzi knows her love life sucks. Majorly. Bioware's romances are _amazing_ , so she thinks she'll live vicariously through her quizzie. She heard something about Cullen being an option. She loved the shit out of his blushing, stuttering, flight from her Amell way back in Origins....maybe she'll romance him.

With an efficiency born of eager anticipation Kenzi was quickly staring at her digital likeness.

Next up, her vallaslin pick.

It would shock all but Tamsin, Kenzi mused as she was looking through the vallaslin options for her elf, that Kenzi knew more about Dragon Age lore and history then she did of Earth's, though when you consider how much of that was lies to protect the secret Fae world hidden behind everything, Kenzi supposed that it would be so much of a surprise after all.

Her Dalish Warden had the simple vallaslin of Dirthamen, but she didn't know if she liked this change for Inquisition. It was striking, certainly, but it didn't fit her digital face. Thinking of Dirthamen, should she chose Falon'Din for this Dalish elf? They two were brothers after all, and she was playing a with her Dalish Warden as the Hero of Ferelden in this timeline. She liked the various differences in the vallaslin of Mythal, but why were there so many?

If she ever does an elven archer she'll definitely chose Andruil's bows, but for a mage if felt weird. Maybe Sylaise? The Hearthkeeper _could_  work for a mage. Making a face Kenzi didn't like the complicated version, and the simple version, the one that covered the one eye kinda looked like the Dark Mark...she didn't want to go all Death Eater on this Mage.

The single option for Ghilan'nain, was simple, and elegant...yeah that'll work. But then again...June's second option was interesting, traveling down to the jawline and down the neck as it did...and it worked well with the makeup...and wow. The simple spiraling lines of Elgar'nan's were mesmerizing...

Kenzi let out a low groan. How was she ever going to decide?

 

—

 

Kenzi gasped as the fear demon screeched, panic piercing her heart.

She didn't have any more healing potions. Quick fingers hit the right bumper and Solas was wash in the glowing safety of a Barrier.

Her Barrier.

As her heart thundered within her breast she thanked the Creators that it had just come off cooldown.

Tam-Tam stopped playing with her hair. "Mom?"

"Yeah Little T?"  While her Little T wasn't so little anymore, she'd always be her Little Tam-Tam to Kenzi.

"Are you okay?" Her paradoxically young and old voice was filled with concern.

"Cha-yeah." they both knew that was a lie. "Why wouldn't I be?" now _t_ _hat_  was the question.

 

—

 

This was a massive pile of shit.

Stalking up the rickety stairs that led to her attic bedroom. She threw her bag on a chair, toeing off her boots. Not taking the time, or care to take them off properly.

Clear the air. No regrets. Tam-Tam's gone. Just a note to be found. Kenzi thought with all the trouble her valkyrie almost daughter was having with her past that clearing things up would be _good._

Her and her fucking big mouth. She told Bo, she kissed Dyson, and was in _something_  with Hale.

It probably wasn't the best time to go running around the Storm Coast. But Bo might never talk to her again. Might not _lo_ _ok_  at her again.

Bo left her a Lauren's.

Cracking open a bottle of Smirnoff, Kenzi settled into some mindless hours of mat farming.

Scowling as her save loaded up, she took a long swig.

She was only human after all.

 

—

 

Bo's Dark. Legit Dark Fae. Kenzi's mind kept rolling. Bo's been waspish and weird. But Kenzi thought that it was the Black Smoke's fault. Not-not _this!_

Kenzi _knew_ what Dark Fae did to each other. Never mind what they _did_  to their humans...

Taking up her half full bottle of vodka Kenzi took a sip. Then another, and another. Her eye flick towards her console, as she huddled under her blanket. Not even Dragon Age could fix the panic coiling horror growing within.

Kenzi woke hours later, with a rancid taste in her mouth and a chainsaw roaring in her skull, to the news that Trick was gonna be the new acting Ash.

 

—

 

Kenzi thought she'd be jealous. Like really, really jealous. Here there was a gorgeous music Fae  - Ianka - who Hale payed more attention to then her and all she could think of was, if she hadn't just gotten intense Fade Tongue from Solas she'd try to ride the Bull.

Rolling her eyes. Now she sounded like Bo.

 

—

 

Everything thought that when she wasn't in sight she was getting into trouble, but they didn't understand she needed to get to Halamshiral!

The D-Man was paying more attention to her then he had in awhile. Citing her Shadow Thief training, and while it used to make her heart flutter, something had changed. And it had nothing to do with Hale.

She should do something about that soon. She'd thought that playing around with Hale would have distracted her from Dyson....but it did nothing but make her feel awkward, and like a total bitch.

Her phone was in her hands, itching to cheat and find out what secrets would she discover within the stolen home of the elves, when it came to Dragon Age, Kenzi kept eye out for more than just loot.

"Kenzi..." Dyson started, his voice chidding. With a huff she put her phone away. Her save was waiting for her at home anyway.

 

—

 

_Kenzi sat awkwardly on her bed. Hale in front her her. He said something stupid. She shook her head and went to her bathroom._

/

_Kenzi sat awkwardly on her bed. Hale in front her her. He leans in too quick, and Kenzi makes a quick getaway, hiding in her bathroom._

/

_Kenzi sat awkwardly on her bed. Hale in front her her. His magical voice recites poetry, and Kenzi couldn't help but smile...but seeing the hope in his eyes. Kenzi's heart twists. She gets up and hides in her bathroom._

/

 

—

 

She wanted to talk to Hale and end things. This had gone on to long. He was falling for her and she was more in lust with the wolf-dude then him! Fuck her heart belonged more to an imaginary elf then him!

It wasn't right, or fair to Hale, but there was a conspiracy afoot!

It was like they knew she'd been trying to get a moment to talk to Hale alone. Maybe they didn't understand _why_  she wanted some alone time with him. They all probably thought that she'd human up some Fae this or that, that absolutely couldn't be fucked up.

It was something about a purity ritual and a few Fae regulars at the Dal kept giving her knowing looks.

Only Kenzi didn't know what the Fae was up!

Kenzi shook her head. Pushing it away from her mind. It was just pissing her off and there was this amazing cut scene to be watched!

She was heading to the Temple of Mythal! How fucking cool was that?

Only the nagging thought that last time she'd been interrupted this many times she'd been kidnapped by Inari, kept her from enjoying the amazing cinematic playing before her.

 

—

 

She drank of the well. This wasn't an opportunity she could miss, the following conversation with Solas was shocking, and arousing. _'I am grim and fatalistic, getting you into bed is just an enjoyable side benefit.'_

Shit. She needed to talk to Hale. Tomorrow. She'll do it tomorrow even if she needed to yell at the top of her lugs to get her point across.

Then, the scene shifts and Solas brings to the glen where she'd killed a wyvern a couple days ago.

Everything falls to pieces. It doesn't click. Solas...Numbly she reloaded, and tried again. And again, and again. Trying to find the right conversation path that would lead her to stay with Solas.

But there were none...

...surely this was something like Fenris' leaving her....only to come back before the final battle. Yeah. She can see that happening. Especially with out slow and drawn out the rest of the romance had been. Absently realizing that she kept the vallaslin she'd fretted so hard over during the last time she tried to make Solas stay.

Feeling a little more reassured Kenzi set about to get some more quests in before bed. Muscle memory brought Bull, Cole, and Solas with her.

Cole speaks, as she's trying to scramble up a hill and everything shifts into soul crushing clarity.

_'She feels her face, marked, marred without malice. She didn't know. She thinks it's why you walked away.'_

Kenzi shakes as a few tears slip free.

 

—

 

Bo kicked her out. Banished her from the Crackshack, Kenzi didn't know what to do. So the Spunky human sidekick with no hero to squire after ended up wandering the streets as Bo got freaky with her Wandering Man Candy.

...at least the D-Man and Dr. Hotpants seemed to get along better.

That had to be a good thing, right?

Shaking her head, Kenzi focused on the task at hand. Ignoring Dyson about the lore on the wonderfully awesome Fae at the other side of this weird missing leg case.

Mermaids! О мой Бог! Fenedhis! Real life mermaids! Kenzi thought with a squee as she crawled through the air vents. Determined not to think of Bo or her new boytoy or...how devastated Solas sounded when he found the Orb broken.

Of how Mythal-Flemeth called him Dread Wolf...she hadn't picked up her game in a while. Mostly because of her own heartache and confusion, but also because of the Banishment.

So she started reading the fanficiton she'd forbidden herself from reading before she finished the game, just to avoid spoilers, and joined the legion of other fans in Solavellen Hell.

Kenzi bites her lip casting those thoughts out of her mind and dropped down from the vent.

 

—

 

So it wasn't a kidnapping she had to worry about. It was an invasion. Of the mom kind. While she was trying to find a way to breakup with Hale, the Siren was getting ready to _marry_  her.

Her biggest plans for the future were to play the Trespasser DLC.

She feels more like a bitch then ever. Her mom being here. Definitely not helping.

Except she kinda was.

There was this glimmer of hope, a piece of her desperate for her mom to get rid of that abusive asshole, but she didn't.

Kenzi was and never would be her mom's priority. Only caring that Kenzi had a rich boyfriend they wanted her to marry so they could mooch off of him.

She screamed herself raw, demanding her mom leave. Giving her back the earrings...

Hale wasn't bothering her about why his proposal still hung in the air.

It was a devastating weight, Kenzi didn't know what she was going to do about it. Instead she and he went back up to her attic room and she started Trespasser. Hale had watched her play, just as Tamsin had.

As Kenzi played gaining the answers she sought she never noticed Hale's face as she - her Lavallen - interacted with the Dread Wolf.

 

—

 

Kenzi was relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about what she was going to tell Hale. Never ever again. The Siren had been run through with Geraldeen, by Massimo.

Then guilt, devastation, hatred colored her. She begged anyone who was listening to save the Siren whose blood stained her hands.

"I love you." he said. and she shook her head and said "no." he died before the rest of her words could be said. Wordlessly she screamed.

Bo came upon the scene, did what she could. Kenzi slumped against the Siren, her chi used to try and revive Hale. But it did nothing.

 

—

 

The sun was bright, the song birds chirping merrily and  Kenzi was surprisingly dry-eyed behind her veil as Hale's funeral continued.

She didn't love the man that proposed to her but she wore his ring regardless.

She was a horrible person who'd rather play a video game then deal with her feelings and the people in her life.

Kenzi wasn't surprised when Bo left her there to deal with the lady-knight.

 

—

 

Sequestered in Trick's Lair, Tamsin by her side, as they thumbed through the book. Tears started  to gather, but Kenzi forced them away with her own willpower and a quick sweep of the back of her hand.

She should have known she wasn't anything special. That she didn't deserve to find a home, and a faemaily here.

She was just the weak little human girl. To stupid and selfish to be worth anything. Everything her mom let her step-dad say...it was all true. Every goddamned word.

Finding a world of magic and mystery, being a part of a fucking fairytale...it was to good to be true. And it really, really was.

Everyone was in here. Even Hale. Even his death...

...just not Kenzi.

 

—

 

There was a literal zombie apocalypse going on outside and Bo was going to rescue Lauren.

Kenzi didn't understand why anyone ever thought they'd have a shot in Bo's heart with Doctor Hotpats taking up so much of that real estate.

Even if Kenzi was worrying herself sick over the danger Tamsin, Dyson and Trick were going to be in just so this rescue mission could happen. Kenzi knew Massimo needed to die.

So Kenzi hugged Bo, slipping Hale's engagement ring into a pocket. The thief didn’t believe that she deserved it, and presented Bo Geraldine. Still stained with Hale's blood.

Watching Bo leave, Kenzi leans into Tamsin's embrace and feels like she should be crying.

 

—

 

The sounds of battle echoed within her ears.

Kenzi looked at the page in her hands. Her eyes, taking in each and every word.

Kenzi had been so scared that they'd have to cut out Bo's heart that she forgot something.

Fairytales didn't deal in a whole lot of literals.

Feeling more calm and clearheaded then she has in weeks, months, she folds the page back and tucks it away, while she stepped out onto the field.

The blond mane of her daughter's hair is like a beacon. Next she sees the swirling arcs of Trick's bo staff, Kenzi's eyes follow, only to be drawn towards Dyson as the wolf snarls. Kenzi's heart leaps to her throat. The last time she heard him make that sound was when he was fighting the berserkers.

This was it. She couldn't, wouldn't stand aside and do nothing!

It didn't matter if she wasn't a part of their fairytale, they were her faemaily!

She strides out from where she'd been hiding, absently noting how the hoard parted as she walked forward.

Single minded and purposeful she stride doesn't falter as she makes her way to the Civant. It's only when she reaches it that she turns to look back at her faemaily with a smile. She says her goodbyes with her eyes, and without giving herself another moment to think about it she continues her task and walks into the blinding green light.

For a moment she felt nothing. Peace, like she had never felt before. Then a scream tore itself from her throat. Undeniable, inescapable agony rolled through her. Her silver-blue eyes rolled back and all she knew was darkness.

 

—

 

**Author's Note:**

> All of my Elvhen is from FenxShiral's Project Elvhen and everything else is from Google Translate!
> 
> Translations:  
> О мой Бог: Russian for Oh my god.  
> Fenedhis: Used as 'shit', 'fuck' or 'god damn' lit. Wolf dick.  
> 


End file.
